Five UH Manoa faculty receive awards for excellence in teaching

HONOLULU — The University of Hawai‘i has selected five faculty members as the recipients for the 2008 Mānoa Chancellor‘s Citation for Meritorious Teaching Award. This award recognizes Mānoa faculty members for significant contributions to teaching and student learning.

JANE KADOHIRO is an assistant professor in the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene at UH Mānoa. During her 17 years as a faculty member, she has proven herself to be a caring teacher, mentor to her students, respected colleague and valued member of the nursing faculty. She believes an effective educator should "engage students in discovery, dialogue and discourse." She takes on some of the more challenging undergraduate nursing courses, as well as assuming a leadership role on committees and task forces that are essential to undergraduate success. Dr. Kadohiro is highly regarded for her dedication, thoroughness, and commitment to continual improvement and community service.

SANKARAN KRISHNA is a professor of political science at UH Mānoa. A member of the faculty for nearly 20 years, he views his teaching as a challenge to "creatively combine the circumstances and contexts of each semester in a way that energizes and excites both the students and myself about learning." Krishna believes that a teacher‘s effectiveness "depends on how engaged and interested you are in the world around you, and how well you communicate that engagement to your students." When asked to reflect on Krishna‘s influence, one student noted, "He opens your mind and challenges your thinking." Regarded by his colleagues as an outstanding teacher, one remarked that he "brings a tremendous spirit and commitment to everything he does."

GREGG LIZENBERY has been a professor of theatre and dance at UH Mānoa since 1991. A highly regarded dancer, choreographer, artistic director and educator for more than 40 years, he sees his role as a "catalyst and guide; one who encourages students to listen, see, think, intuit, analyze and push towards the discovery of themselves and the intricacies of their art form." Lizenbery believes his effectiveness as a teacher is partially due to his consistent involvement in the current dance scene, and he strives to maintain a complementary fusion of teaching and professional activity.

ROBERT SULLIVAN is an associate professor of English at UH Mānoa, where he has taught since 2003. He feels his teaching is greatly helped by the practical experiences he draws on as a widely published author and editor in several genres, including creative non-fiction, poetry and fiction. Sullivan believes his role as a teacher is to guide his students, and that "each student brings a wealth of experiences, relationships and ideas to the classroom." One of his colleagues noted that he is "an inspired and captivating performer and teacher who has close and charismatic rapport with his classes and audiences."

LOIS YAMAUCHI is a professor in the department of educational psychology at UH Mānoa. She strives to be a teacher who has high expectations of all students while remaining sensitive to individual needs. As a teacher, Yamauchi believes that "all students can learn; it is my job to figure out how to engage them so they will be successful." When asked to reflect on Yamauchi‘s influence, a student said, "her ability to tap into each student‘s interests, together with her enthusiasm for educating, inspire a sense of empowerment and a passion for learning."

These five individuals will be recognized for their achievements along with other UH award recipients at the annual Convocation ceremony to be held September 9, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. at Kennedy Theatre on the UH Mānoa campus. The ceremony is open to the public at no charge and no reservations are needed.